Action for M.E. is delighted to announce its latest PhD studentship in biomedical M.E. research.

Following our rigorous Research Funding Assessment Process, our Board of Trustees has awarded funding to Dr Neil Harrison to recruit a PhD student for three years as part of his project to investigate the effects of inflammation on brain function in M.E./CFS, with the aim of determining the neurobiological mechanisms that underpin fatigue, post-exertional malaise and pain experienced by people with M.E.

Dr Harrison, Reader in Neuropsychiatry and Neuroimaging at Brighton and Sussex Medical School, says, “This research is important as it will bring state-of-the-art brain imaging to the study of M.E./CFS, a standard this is being increasingly used in other illnesses affecting the brain. This will allow us to look in much greater detail at how M.E./CFS affects brain function and better understand how mild inflammation influences this.”

Subject to the contract being agreed, and a student recruited, this PhD will start later this month. Find out more on our project page.

This PhD studentship has been awarded following our October 2017 funding call for high-quality, innovative pilots that address the biology of M.E., for which a number of applications were submitted. Last month, Action for M.E. and the Scottish Government’s Chief Scientist’s Office announced that our jointly funded PhD studentship in biomedical M.E. research would be awarded to Prof Chris Ponting, University of Edinburgh.

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